WWE Raw highlights 1/10/2012

This week, Raw started with four of the brighter sparks on the show at the moment in CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler and the Tag Team Champions 'Team Hell No' (Daniel Bryan and Kane). I hate that name already! I'm loving how over and entertaining Bryan and Kane are just lately, topped with the classic 'I'm the Tag Team, Champions!' line. Not to be outdone, Punk and Ziggler got in on the act of raising their title/briefcase to stake claim to being the 'man'.

The downfall to this segment was the hint of a(nother) power struggle for the General Manager's position. Oh joy. I wish they'd do away with this way of making the matches. I remember years ago two guys would argue and the match was made without the need of an authority figure.

The World Title debate was a segment they shouldn't have bothered with. Sheamus, as usual, is the funny, jolly, 'top of the morning to ya' joker that is getting boring now. It's hard not to side with the Big Show when he makes a good point that all Sheamus wants to do is joke about the situation. especially when Sheamus is getting a bit like good ol' John boy (Cena). The best jokes he could come up with were about Show's bad breathe and B.O... really? Is that how we're playing this PG era - with poo poo jokes?! This was trumped when Show accidentally knocked his podium down, defending himself with being 'a little overweight'!

Shout out to Ryback for his match with Tensai. Unfortunately the big man couldn't get Albert up for the Shellshock (Samoan Drop to the rest of us) twice, so instead finished him with a secondary move; a hard clothesline - a move that was nothing earlier in the match. And this guy is supposedly 'Plan B' if Cena doesn't make Hell in a Cell?

Segment of the night goes to the JR Appreciation night, which was always going to go smoothly, right? Enter Punk and 'The Belt Carrier' Paul Heyman to try and get us to hate him a little bit more. I love how in the last couple of weeks they've had Punk berate the likes of Mick Foley and Jim Ross to get the fans against him. I suppose you'll get the kiddies hating him more.

The credit I'll give is they're slowly straying away from Punk being right (which he is every week) to being a typical whiny heel - doing so by getting him to verbally attack the fans, which is always a winner in my book and something that he's only just employed in the last couple of weeks. He also got in the local sports team dig as well (reminds me of Kurt Angle EVERY week in about 1999/2000!).

The only downside to this typically heely behaviour is that the victim (in this case JR) tells Punk he needs to beat Cena at HIAC to become the best in the world. Hang on, hasn't he beaten him like three times already? How many more times has he got to before people admit it? How stupid do they sound for not giving him this credit/tagline after all these victories?

The biggest thing to come from this segment was the appearance of Ryback, staring down Punk for the second week running. I don't think anything will come of this (unless Punk addresses it next week) but it's good that they're testing the water with a guy that is clearly on the rise and getting over with the fans - even if it does nod towards Goldberg nearly 15 years ago...

Other things of note were Antonio Cesaro's victory, Damien Sandow's performance against Sheamus - definitely two for the future, and also Kofi going back to jobbing to Del Rio (well them Tag Titles gained credibility again, eh?).